NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The No. 18 Irish hockey program earned the weekend split against third-ranked Michigan with a 3-2 overtime victory Saturday night. Trailing by two goals at the end of the first period, the University of Notre Dame battled back to score three unanswered goals in the win.
Mirroring the same start as night one, the Irish found themselves trailing early as the Wolverines jumped out to a 1-0 lead just 3:32 into the contest. The visiting Maize and Blue scored off a rebound at 3:32 of the first period after Notre Dame had controlled possession through the first few minutes of play.
The Wolverines would get one more late in the period, beating Bischel glove side on the powerplay.
After successfully killing off two penalties early in the second stanza, the Irish broke their scoreless drought with a goal at 10:55 of the period from Tyler Carpenter.
With less than a minute on the clock for the second, Nick Leivermann’s shot found Chayse Primeau on the doorstep for the game-tying goal as the two teams headed to the locker room deadlocked, 2-2.
Registering just six shots on goal in the second frame, the Irish opened the final period of regulation ripping off four shots in the first 90 seconds of action but were unable to break Michigan’s netminder Erik Portillo.
The two sides continued to trade chances through a physical third period with the Irish outshooting their opposition, 13-9, in the last 20 minutes of regulation hockey. Leivermann had Notre Dame’s best chance to score late, carrying the puck in deep for a wraparound shot with under two minutes to play but the Wolverine goaltender quickly covered the puck before it could cross the line and the teams ended the third still tied up.
It took the Irish 2:26 seconds of overtime to find the game-winner when Grant Silianoff played hero for the Blue and Gold, trickling a shot through the five hole of Portillo just under halfway through the extra session.
GOALS
- Tyler Carpenter net his first of the season to get the Irish on the board halfway through the contest. Niko Jovanovic found Jack Adams on the rush who carried it in. In his first game back, Adams found Carpenter open atop the crease who buried his shot to make it a 2-1 game. With the second assist on the goal, Jovanovic tallied his first collegiate point.
- The Irish tied it up at 19:23 of the second when a shot by Nick Leivermann was redirected by Chayse Primeau on the doorstep. The powerplay tally was set up by Jackson Pierson who went back and forth with Chase Blackmun at the point while they looked for an open lane. Throwing the Wolverine goaltender off, Pierson found Leivermann at the top of the slot who fired a shot towards the crease for Primeau to tap it home and even the score.
- Ryan Helliwell skated up ice, shaking a defender before firing a stretch pass over to Silianoff. From the slot, the junior ripped a shot on net where Portillo made the initial save but the puck ricocheted over the line at 2:26 of the overtime session. Ryder Rolston also picked up an assist on the play.
KEY STATS
- The Irish scored three unanswered goals Saturday night to earn the weekend split with the Wolverines.
- After allowing two goals in the opening period, Ryan Bischel stopped 19 shots through the final two periods and overtime for a game total of 31 saves, earning second star of the game honors.
- Grant Silianoff’s game-winning goal was his first of the season and the Edina, Minnesota native’s second tally of the year.
- Niko Jovanovic made his collegiate debut in the win, picking up an assist on Notre Dame’s first goal of the night for his first career point.
- Tyler Carpenter opened up the scoring for the Irish Saturday night as the sophomore net his first of the season at 10:55 of the second period.
- Nine individuals highlighted the box score in the 3-2 win, including three goal scorers in Carpenter, Chayse Primeau and Silianoff.
- Although narrowly outshot by the Wolverines, 33-31, Ryder Rolston led the team with six pucks on net. With only one official shot on net Saturday night, Silianoff’s shot in overtime was the game-winner.
- The Irish registered 14 shots blocked in the contest with Nick Leivermann eating three shots to help lift his team to victory.
UP NEXT
The Irish are back on the road for a conference series at Ohio State Nov. 18-19.